FRANKLIN, WI: The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance (WMCA) strongly condemns Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson's recent remarks on The Benny Show, in which he claimed "we opened up our doors to sharia law," in light of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan. Senator Johnson continued by warning of the "horrors of sharia law for women," and suggested that Democrats are advocating for sharia law in America.
Senator-elect El-Sayed has never called for sharia law, nor has any other Muslim candidate or elected official in the United States. Senator Johnson is manufacturing fear about Muslim Americans for political gain.
"These statements are racist and rooted in ignorance," said Fauzia Qureshi, Executive Director of WMCA. "When a Muslim American wins an election, that is democracy working as it should. Michigan voters rejected this kind of fearmongering on Tuesday, and Wisconsin should reject it too."
Qureshi called Johnson's comments about Muslim women especially insulting. "Muslim women in Wisconsin are executives, lawyers, doctors, educators, business owners, and public servants. We do not need Senator Johnson to speak for us. We speak for ourselves."
Johnson's remarks fit a troubling national pattern. The Center for the Study of Organized Hate found that anti-Muslim social media posts by Republican elected officials surged 1,450% between February 2025 and March 2026.
WMCA calls on Senator Johnson to retract his remarks, apologize to Wisconsin's Muslim community, and meet with Muslim leaders and constituents across the state to hear directly from the people he represents.
